10

Nov 2013

How to Get Wisdom and Joy :: Joy Day!

Reading portions of the Book of Psalms in the Bible is something I do almost every day.

It’s full of wisdom and pain and gratitude and praise and fear.

Today’s passage included this verse…Psalm 111:10, from the New Living Translation:

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

Praise him forever!

I don’t know about you…but I want wisdom.

People who are wise seem to navigate life more gracefully.

They are the ones others seek for advice.

People who are wise are more thoughtful, less reactionary, trustworthy.

Looking at this verse:

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

Praise him forever!

It’s pretty clear where and how we get wisdom.

The source of wisdom is the fear of God.

Once we have wisdom, we grow wiser by obeying God’s commandments.

I don’t have all the answers…nor will I ever purport to such a thing.

I do know that you, probably as much as I, want to be wise.

This life is plenty full of challenges.

It seems that everything would go more smoothly if we could be wise in everything we do, think, or say.

Fear.

That seems to be the key word to gaining wisdom.

Okay….I have some fears. You probably do too.

Are you fearful of God?

Here’s the tension….if God is the ultimate loving being…how can we fear him?

Should we?

Well…this verse suggests we should.

When I think about God and his awesome glory which is too great for us to even look upon.

When I think of Moses, his face scorched by just the glory of God, we gain more perspective, and are even more in awe of God.

This greatness, this holiness, this power, this perfection, this completeness, all of this and more, is God.

God is beyond our wildest imaginings. At his word he commands the wind, the waves, the sun, and the moon. He created all of those things, and this world, and fire, and lightning, and things so wonderful and great and profound.

Except for the fact that we know he loves us….I’m pretty certain we would run and hide from his amazing presence.

Maybe this is the fear the psalmist is writing about.

Not just respecting God for his place and position.

But, humbling ourselves before him, face down.

Understanding our weakness in light of his incomparable strength.

Recognizing we are nothing, not even a flea, without him.

But, most of all, grasping the truth that we are truly depraved without his grace and mercy.

And really…we cannot even comprehend this grace or mercy.

What’s the point?

This God who is terrifying in his power and his greatness is worthy of our fear.

And when we get who he reallyis, this love he has for us is even more unimaginable and beautiful and wonderful.

This, this is the place upon which we draw our life and our strength and our understanding.

It’s the place upon which we filter the world around us so we can make wise choices.

It’s our core.

Strength training experts tell us that our bodies are only as strong as our core.

To fear God is to have a strong core.

That strong core gives us wisdom.

To make that strong core even stronger we need to obey God’s commandments.

thankful for hardships He allows that mold us and force us to “really” know Him. thankful for His extended grace during those very hardships. thankful for His never ending love. as to fearing God i am always mindful of what the beavers in Narnia answer after being asked if Aslan the lion (and Christ Figure) is safe…‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver; ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.

There are such things as healthy fears, reverent fears.
Originally, if you don’t mind my honesty, I got a bit ruffled cuz I jumped right back to that smiting, thunderbolts, sending you to hell, capricious G-d of my understanding from once upon a time. And I was going to deny the fear that I possess, that reverent fear that I possess in my relationship with my Maker. Its a bit like fire, for me. I have a healthy respect for fire, tempered with some fear. But I’m not going to run away screaming if you ‘flick your bic’.

So…you made me think. And you helped me find some joy:
* I am NOT where I used to be!
* I got to work for a whole week.
* I got greeted by at work by happy coworkers and students.
* I walked a whole mile today…broke up into 2 parts, but still!!
* I got a really early Halloween card. LOL. No, it wasn’t late.
* I got to help someone who really wanted and really used the help.
* I get to pray for people. 🙂

There’s no doubt God could “smite” us if he chose, but I don’t think that’s his modus operandus these days. But, at the same time HE is the one with the power…and what’s amazing is that I get to hide under his mighty “wing.” That is so cool. I appreciate your honesty, Mel. You must have an idea how challenging this was to write.
I remember hearing people talk about God as you describe when I was very young. I guess they wanted to scare us into church, etc. Instead, today I prefer to recognize who he is and decide to let him lead and discipline me. That was a huge step for someone who wants to control their universe. 😉
Thanks for sharing your ‘seven.’ I rejoice with you for every one. You walked a WHOLE MILE?!!!! That’s worthy of doing the dance of joy!! And I’m still laughing about the “early” Halloween card. 🙂
You bless me….

Joy Day! I’m not feeling so good and I had plans for this warm sunshiny day! But I do feel better in bed! That’s joy no. 1
2. Sermon on TV and Curts he brought home to tell me
3. Talking to Mom
4. Unexpected confirmations of what true friends really are
5. A surprise party planned!
6. The Lord provides though I’m human and my brain causes fears and tears and these other junks that are scary but praise You Lord, I’ve not stayed there. I’ve come out
7. How I’ve enjoyed taking Dads oldest of Ushirts and his oldest of plain cotton socks darned, now bleached, and his various strings and threads, and even McDonald napkins in his darning suitcase, and so far I’ve done about eleven of 14 different chair back decors I’ll tie onto chairs for a gathering. But it’s amazing this pile of what my brother and spouse deemed rags is now so pretty and each different. Brain work indeed
Jesus I love You

My dear friend you are truly amazing. You make the most of what is on your plate and do it with creativity (boatloads of that) and true faith.
Though it is many hours later, my prayer is that you were able to get up and enjoy the sunshine, even if only for a sit on your patio. I would love to see these chair back decors you are creating…they sound fascinating. I think this part of your brain is working beautifully. What a blessing.
May your week be filled with unexpected joys and God moments.
[hugs]
p.s. praying…

Loved this line, “People who are wise seem to navigate life more gracefully.” So true! May I pursue wisdom on a daily basis so that I live gracefully each day! Thank you for this wonderful reminder this morning. I stopped by from Works For Me Wed. & am so glad that I did. My 1st time doing this linkup 🙂
Blessings,
Joanne

Thank you so much JoAnne!!
I have really enjoyed WFMW. There is such a variety of bloggers that link up there. And I think for families…it’s one of the best blogs around.
It was so kind of you to leave your sweet thoughts, Joanne. 😉
Blessings!!

It’s so nice to meet you!

I'm Diane... a true believer in living life to the full! My motto is “Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary!” Now tell me something about you. Why? Because this blog is not all about me...it's about us...sharing in each other's lives and helping each other to be the wonderfully extraordinary individuals we were created to be! Let's chat more here...

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